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Food dye and ADHD – FDA looking into possible link

The FDA says there’s no definitive link between food dyes, food coloring and ADHD. While this may be true, there does seem to be a growing body of circumstantial evidence saying that it does.

And just because there’s no “definitive” scientific and/or statistical link between food dyes, food coloring and ADHD in the general population, that does not in any way mean that these additives do not affect people individually.

That’s one of the common things that people misunderstand about scientific studies…just because statistically there not a correlation in the general population (meaning that X number of people out of X number in the study didn’t have an issue) that does not mean that something didn’t effect some people in the study. If it effects YOU, then it effects you, regardless of whether or not it effects a certain percentage of the population.

Back to the report…according to Michael Jacobson at the Center For Science In The Public Interest, red #40, yellow #5, and yellow #6 comprise 90% of all food dyes in the US. And the Center For Science In The Public Interest recommends that the FDA get ban the most popular dyes in foods in the United States. (The European Union already requires warning labels on food in Europe that contain food dyes and colorings.

My personal experience is that some food additives do affect my brain. I have not personally tested whether or not food colorings specifically, but it does seem to be that some preservatives such as BHA and BHT do negatively affect my brain. And it seems like most foods that have preservatives do have artificial coloring as well, so it’s difficult to tell which are having the bad effect. (It could be both!)

Coincidentally, food dyes, food colorings, and other food additives and how they can cause ADHD symptoms is one of the chapters in the book I wrote — The Attention Handbook. You can click here to get more information if you’re interested.